Sunday, February 27, 2011

Wow, has this been a busy week! I have been working on a brand new piece and I've also been working on adding new products, changing around my stores, new licensing releases and so much more. Luckily, my husband has been helping me a LOT lately with a lot of the online maintenance type things, so that has been fantastic and has opened up more of my time to work on new pieces.

Speaking of my husband, we actually got to go out on a date night this past week! We've decided to have a date night every three weeks. It seems like it's so easy to get caught up in doing so much work day-in and day-out, that we don't take enough time out to spend time with each other. We are going to alternate planning our date nights. This week was my time to plan! We went out to Bahama Breeze. He had never been there before and it had been awhile for me. They serve Caribbean style food and have a really nice atmosphere. I had yummy ribs with a guava glaze and he had a Cuban sandwich. After that, we rented Date Night from Red Box. It was just so-so. I wish I had picked something else, but we had so much fun taking the night off and hanging out. I'm already looking forward to what he is planning for our next date night!

Portrait of a Steampunk #2 - Constance

I finished a brand new sketch this week. It's funny, because I set out wanting to create Portrait of a Fairy #2, but this girl just wanted to be a steampunk! I started to draw her clothes and they felt very steampunk-ish, but I thought, well, I really wanted to draw a fairy, so I'll add wings! Well, the wings just didn't look right on her, so I decided to leave them off for the final version and change her to Portrait of a Steampunk #2. That just goes to show that you should listen to your muse, because she usually knows best! I tend to let things just sort of happen when I sketch and when I do that, I usually do my best work. When I try to fight it and make things different than the direction I seem to be naturally heading, my work suffers greatly. I think it's a battle with the whole right brain/left brain thing.

Anyhow, I am thrilled with the finished version! I had a naming contest and Lisa Cree won! I decided to choose the name Lisa suggested, Constance, for my newest steampunk piece. The name has a certain strength that I think works well and it just fits her perfectly! A big thank you to Lisa and to everyone else who suggested names. It's always so tough to choose! She will be part of my Portrait series, so her full name is Portrait of a Steampunk #2 - Constance. She is my 6th image in my portrait series!

Below are pictures of the sketch and of the digital lines I created in Photoshop. The linework will be used eventually for coloring pages and for rubber stamps through Sweet Pea Stamps. I hope you all enjoy her!

Etsy and eBay Store Changes

I just wanted to update you on some changes to my eBay and Etsy stores! In order to make my Etsy store the best it can be, I will be cutting back my eBay store to make it a bit more manageable. Keeping up with all my stores and my website x 60 images x 10 product types is a lot of work and hundreds and hundreds of individual listings! I want to be able to offer you a complete selection of images and products in at least one of my stores so that you can always find what you want, so I have decided to concentrate on my Etsy store.

Today, I will be changing my eBay store to only offer ACEO, 5x7 and 8x10 prints and only the most recent 15 images. If you are interested in seeing my full selection of images and products, please view my Etsy store. I will be working on getting that store up to date with all missing images and product types. As always, I'm happy to create custom listings in any of my stores to sell you the exact image, product and quantity that you're looking for! You just simply have to message me and let me know.

Also, all originals will now be sold on Etsy which is fantastic news for you all! They will be offered at a set buy out price, no more auctions, and the prices will be lower than eBay! My original sketches will also be listed on Etsy.

Thanks so much for your understanding! If you have any questions about the changes, please let me know. =)

I have been listing more original sketches on Etsy this week. Many of them have sold already, but currently, I have two up for sale at very reasonable prices! I have two lovely mermaid original sketches, Emmy and Krista. Both are available for only $25. I used these sketches to create my original paintings. The original paintings for both Krista and Emmy have been sold, so this is a great way to own the original sketch that those paintings were based on.

I have Arden and Cassandra all scanned in and ready to be listed, so be on the lookout for those this week. I have a feeling that Arden will be scooped up fairly quickly, so if you are interested in her, be sure to keep checking my Facebook page, because I will make a post there when I list her. I still have approx. 20-30 more to scan and list so I will be continuing to do this for the next couple months. And all of my new sketches will be listed as well. I have just accumulated a backlog of some old ones that need to be listed.

Coloring Packs - Number 1 & Number 2

I have had so many requests for coloring packs! Previously, I offered my coloring pages which were printed on artist quality paper and had a slightly higher price point. I also had my printable coloring pages. But people were requesting to be able to purchase an assortment of images together like a coloring book.

Each coloring page measures 8.5x11". The coloring area is 8x10" and is surrounded by a black border. This makes it super easy to frame your finished creations! They are printed on 110 lb. white cardstock with a slight texture. They are perfect for many different media including crayons, colored pencils and marker. When using marker, I recommend coloring with an extra sheet of paper underneath in case there's any bleed through.

They will come packaged in a plastic sleeve with a backing board and a colored cover as shown in the first picture, so they make the perfect gift!

I license my artwork to Sweet Pea Stamps and they create beautiful rubber stamps from my images! This week, Sweet Pea Stamps has released a brand new set of my rubber stamps for pre-order. This set includes: Belle, Heather, Malana and Zoe, some of my newest and most popular images.

You can create beautiful things with these stamps, and the best part is, as long as you follow my angel policy, you can sell what you make with them! Also, my newest rubber stamp set is regularly priced at $18, but is currently on sale for only $14.50! They will begin shipping March 11th.

Sweet Pea Stamps has a fantastic blog where her design team and customers post their finished creations. I am constantly blown away by the talent of these designers and card makers. Seeing them use my artwork to create -their- own artwork has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my artistic career. I decided to make a photo album on Facebook and keep it up to date with all the creations made using my rubber stamps.

I will post just a few here, but be sure to check out my Facebook page here, to see all the creations.

I have moved all my original paintings over to Etsy and have reduced their prices significantly! So if you've had your eye on an original of mine, you have got to check out my Etsy store! I have moved over Telsa, Belle, Ryla, Angelique, Cassandra, Astrina, Karmina, and Chandra. They are priced anywhere from only $125-200!

Whew...I told you it was a busy week! Thanks to all who stuck around and made it to the end of that lengthy weekly wrap-up! Let's see...what's in store this week? Well, I hope to work mostly on Constance. I also have a commissioned sketch that I'm going to try and work on. I will also be working on adding some missing products to my Etsy store, because my goal is to have a fully stocked store for you to shop in.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a fantastic weekend! I just wanted to fill you in on a few new things that were going on with my artwork this past week. I have completed a new original painting, Heather, and have released her in my Etsy store so she's available on all my prints and products. I have also been sifting through a TON of old original sketches which I plan on putting up for sale a few at a time on Etsy.

Heather - New Painting - Available on Prints and Products!

A few of you may remember that this past Christmas a very kind person donated money for me to paint a commissioned original painting for someone. I thought it would be fun to have everyone post their favorite holiday traditions on my Facebook page. I randomly selected one person out of all the people that shared their traditions and Heather won! Heather wanted a painting that was right up my alley! She wanted a witch with lots of gothic details in the background and she also wanted to include all her kitties that have been near and dear to her heart. She requested a few other things like a specific color scheme and roses, ivy and a few other background elements.

I just finished up Heather's custom painting this past week! She was an absolute blast to paint. Heather chose some of my favorite colors and subject matter. I also tried my first celtic braiding (which is a lot harder than it looks lol). I am so happy with the final result and I'm thrilled to have been given the opportunity to collaborate with Heather on this piece.

The original will of course be going to Heather, but I do have Heather prints and products available in my Etsy store! She is available on ACEO, 5x7 and 8x10 prints, stickers, magnets, bookmarks, buttons, pocket mirrors and printable coloring pages. These range from only $2-$13, so purchasing my prints and products is a very affordable way to add to your collection!

I decided to look through all my old sketchbooks and pull out all the sketches that were used to create all of my images that I sell in my various stores. I know a lot of you enjoy collecting sketches that were used to create finished artwork, so I have decided to put them up for sale on Etsy. I have salvaged about 30-40 sketches and will list them a few at a time. I have so many including ones from some of my most popular paintings: Arden, Telsa, Kirra, Aelita and Jax, Cassia and more! Some go back all the way to 2007! They will each be signed, titled and dated by me and will also be sold with an open edition ACEO print of the finished piece.

Once these are sold, they're gone! They are one of a kind and I don't plan on offering prints of them any time soon. So if you're interested in one in particular, make sure to keep an eye on my Etsy store under the "originals" section. Also, I will make an announcement on Facebook each time I list one for sale. I listed two so far this week: Aria and Adrianna. They have both sold, but I should be listing a few more before the week is up!

Well that's all for this week! In this coming week, I have a lot of stuff to work on. I have some new products in development that I hope to have available very soon. I hate to say too much because I don't know how soon I can actually have everything up and running, but one involves coloring and the other products will be a choice of three items that are a little more practical, but are sure to add some fun and whimsy to your life! I am also in the sketching stage for a couple different commissions and am also working on a sketch for my next painting! She will be part of my portrait series. =) Have a great week everyone!

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a fantastic week. I was busy working on two different paintings this week. My Valentine's mermaid painting, Vienna, is all finished and in time for Valentine's Day...imagine that! And I've also been working on Heather, which is the piece I'm creating for the person who one my Christmas giveaway. She is almost complete, so hopefully I will have final pictures to show you all soon! The original of Heather will of course be going to the person who won the giveaway, but she will be available on all my different products and will also be submitted to my various licensing companies for rubber stamps, cross stitch charts, tubes, etc... so stay tuned for that!

Portrait of a Mermaid #1 - Vienna - Valentine's Day Mermaid

Valentine's Day is right around the corner! I love to paint holiday themed pieces and Valentine's Day is always so fun with the pretty pink colors and cute hearts. So to celebrate Valentine's Day this year, I decided to paint a Valentine-themed mermaid. I didn't initially start out painting her to be part of my portrait series, but while I was working on her, I thought that she would fit in absolutely perfectly with my first four in the series: Arden, Telsa, Cassandra and Astrina. Vienna is my first mermaid in the series which is why she's titled Portrait of a Mermaid #1. There will of course be many more in the series!

Vienna is a beautiful Valentine's Day mermaid painted in lovely shades of brown and pink. Her outfit and tail are adorned with cute little hearts. There are also heart bubbles all around her! Vienna was so fun to paint.

She measures 8x10" and the original is up for sale on Etsy for only $150!!

I also have released Vienna in my entire product line! If you can't afford the original, but would like to add Vienna to your collection, please consider purchasing one of my other products! Vienna is available on ACEO, 5x7 and 8x10 prints, stickers, magnets, bookmarks, pocket mirrors, buttons and printable coloring pages.

In other news, Creative Design Outlet has released two new tube packs featuring six of my images! These tubes can be used to creative lovely digital creations like signatures, tags and e-cards for friends. You can also use them to create Facebook and Myspace profile pictures.

The first new pack includes Astrina, Krista and Valencia. Astrina is Portrait of a Heroine #1 and is a magician. She's done in beautiful shades of purple. Krista is a fun Halloween mermaid with an adorable kitty friend. And Valencia is a gothic mermaid painted in front of stunning gothic ruins.

The second new pack includes two of my newest and most favorite paintings, Tracey and Angelique. And it also includes a cute little Valentine's Witch, Ryla. Tracey is a gorgeous fairy all done in shades of purple and also features three winged kitty friends. Angelique is a vampire fairy set in a spooky cemetery.

Keep in mind you can buy these tubes in sets of three, individually or in a combo pack featuring all my images at a reduced price

Well that's it for this week! Next week, I'm going to work on finishing up Heather. I also have another commission that needs some tweaks with the sketch before I move onto the painting stage. And then, I also have plans to start a third painting of my own choosing! I haven't decided exactly what I'm going to paint yet, but I'm sure it will be something fun and I'll show you all as soon as I have sketch done. I hope you all have a fantastic week!

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About Me

Hello! My name is Nikki Burnette and I am a fantasy artist. I paint all sorts of fantastical creatures in watercolor. Fantasy art is where my heart lies. I love being able to escape the reality of our world for even just a few hours and enter a new fantasy realm where witches play tricks on Halloween Night, fairies fly around the sweet smelling rosebuds, and mermaids swim gracefully through the water with their dolphin friends. I sell my original paintings as well as a wide range of different products that I create myself in my studio. Thanks for stopping by!